Here at Nanit, we are dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of mothers and their children worldwide. Our solutions and tools help mothers and their families be their healthiest selves, physically and mentally. And when women can be the people they want to be, achieving their goals inside and outside of the home—economically, as parents, as partners, and as role models for future generations—quite simply, the world is a better place. It’s why supporting postpartum health is a mission that we here at Nanit are passionate about.
But the hurdles that some mothers face are especially high, including life threatening conditions and daily fears over being able to fulfill the most basic needs for themselves and their families, such as quality healthcare. Our wish to ensure that women everywhere are getting the care they deserve brought us to our partnership with Saving Mothers, a nonprofit whose mission is to reduce maternal mortality around the world….
Nanit and Saving Mothers
This year, Nanit is continuing to collaborate with Saving Mothers to raise awareness about preventable maternal deaths and birth-related complications and to help women everywhere receive better healthcare, access to facilities, education and support services. We want to change the fact that many moms-to-be around the world don’t have pre-natal care, safe birthing environments, or post-partum support. Here are some eye-opening statistics:
- One mother dies every 90 seconds and 99 percent of maternal deaths happen in developing countries.
- 75 percent of these neonatal deaths are preventable through low-cost, high impact solutions.
- In developing countries, 90 percent of women don’t deliver their babies in hospitals.
One of the countries to face these challenges the most is Kenya, whose maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the world.
Supporting the World’s Women and Moms-to-Be
Saving Mothers is hard at work in multiple countries, meeting women and families where their needs are strongest.
The Dominican Republic
To help fight maternal deaths caused by postpartum hemorrhage (one of the major causes of preventable maternal deaths), Saving Mothers has set up special training programs at La Maternidad, a major medical center for women in the region of Santiago de los Caballeros. These programs educate doctors, nurses and pharmacists, including training on laparoscopic surgeries and ultrasound procedures, ongoing mentorship, and providing much-needed supplies and technology.
Guatemala
Guatemala has the highest maternal mortality rate of any Latin American country and within Guatemala’s indigenous population, that rate nearly doubles. Many women receive little to no prenatal care and often deliver at home. Saving Mothers has set up a training program, The School of PowHER, in one of the most affected areas, training traditional birth attendants to be able to provide more comprehensive obstetric care. These attendants can then educate women in their own communities to expand the reach of their knowledge and skills.
Kenya
For mothers-to-be in Kenya, access to high quality care is a big part of the problem with women often having to travel long distances to get to a hospital and pay the required travel costs. As a result, many women receive little to no prenatal care. Female genital cutting also plays a role in maternal and newborn health, and most local providers don’t have the training to handle complicated deliveries.
Saving Mothers is hard at work in Kenya to make a difference with these challenging issues, and Nanit is proud to help. Under the guidance of Dr. Taraneh Shirazian, gynecologic surgeon and Associate Professor at NYU Langone Medical Center, construction is underway to build a new maternity ward at Kenya’s Kapenguria Hospital that serves 200,000 women a year, including 8,000 births. Nanit has pledged funds for building, as well as for surgical equipment and hospital beds. We will also be donating sleepwear and Nanit technology to help look after the babies once they are born.
New York City
Currently, in New York City, black mothers are nine times more likely to die giving birth than white mothers—and, according to the New York State’s Department of Health, 78 percent of these deaths are preventable.
In order to empower black women and train healthcare providers to challenge and overcome racism, Saving Mothers has created the educational program, mPOWHER. The project aims to educate and train front-line health workers to improve patient communication and trust and better identify at-risk patients. It also provides mothers with valuable tools to advocate for themselves and challenge structural sexism and racism.
The Dream Team
Dr. Taraneh Shirazian, the President and Founder of Saving Mothers, has brought together an amazing team to help in Saving Mothers’ work of teaching and training local providers via high impact, low cost programs. In Kenya, Dr. Shirazian and her team are supporting the local community, providing surgical training, performing surgeries and giving care free of charge to the women who need it most. Since 2015, they’ve also run a maternal continuum of care program that identifies at-risk patients in rural communities, connects them with services and hospital care, and provides family planning services.
Meet more of the inspiring Saving Mothers team:
Miriam Petakwang, TBA Consultant
A nurse with 34 years of experience, Ms. Petakwang works in Kenya with Saving Mothers’ TBA (Traditional Birth Assistant) program, training TBAs to help women deliver in hospitals, give pre- and post-natal care, understand better how to assist with birth complications, help with child immunizations, and more.
Jane Kirop, Nursing Officer at Kapenguria Hospital.
Ms. Kirop has worked at Kapenguria for nearly 20 years, supporting mothers locally and in rural and surrounding communities, and being a liason with Saving Mothers to help provide women with care, surgeries, identify at-risk patients, and more.
Dorothy Pilakan, Family Planning Nurse
As the head nurse in Kapenguria District Hospital, Ms. Pilakan oversees the hospital’s family planning project. She consults and advises women on contraception, including inserting IUDs.
Dr. Shani Chibber, First Year Fellow at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City
In Kenya, Dr. Chibber performs surgical interventions, primarily vaginal surgeries to help treat a variety of conditions, including those brought on by birth complications.
Dr. Anjali Dogra, Anesthesiologist at NYU
Dr. Dogra has worked with Saving Mothers for the past year and a half in both Kenya and the Dominican Republic. She provides anesthesia services for patients undergoing surgeries and trains the nursing staff about neonatal resuscitation and other interventions for babies after birth.
We’d Love Your Help!
Join us in supporting Saving Mothers’ wonderful work and honor the women and moms in your life, wherever they may be. Our Pro Parent Shop offers a curated selection of products chosen specifically to comfort, pamper, and give moms a much-needed break (even a catnap works wonders!). Throughout the year, a portion of every Shop sale will go to Saving Mothers’ efforts in Kenya and all around the world.
This is just one of the many ways we at Nanit strive to celebrate and support families everywhere. Happy International Women’s Month!
